Sussex Archaeology and History Ltd
Lectures, Conferences, Courses and Study Tours in Sussex and beyond
Here are the details of our first two online archaeology lectures for 2026/2027
Check back for details on the next lectures in our series
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Wednesday 14th October 2026
SAH Online Archaeology Lecture
7.30pm
Was Battle Abbey really founded ‘on the very spot’ where Harold fell?
Speakers: Dr Rebecca Welshman (University of Liverpool) and Simon Coleman (West Dean College)
Following our identification of Heathfield Down as an alternative site for the Battle of Hastings (Welshman and Coleman, 2024), and our former talks to Sussex Archaeology and History, we consider the possible reasons why William the Conqueror’s Abbey was founded at Battle.
We examine the source and reliability of the tradition, first recorded in the late 11th century, that William ordered the Abbey to be built on the battlefield on ‘the very spot’ where Harold fell, and how this tradition has since been circulated by chroniclers and historians.
Addressing the possibility that Battle Abbey was not built on the battlefield, we suggest that its siting could be viewed in the context of its proximity to Hastings and its new Norman castle, the seat of the post-Conquest Rape of Hastings. We will also explore how economic and other factors relating to the new town of Hastings and the surrounding area could have influenced the decision to build the abbey at Battle. The talk will then draw parallels between Battle Abbey and other European medieval abbeys built to commemorate battles yet situated some distance from the actual battlefields. Setting the subject in the context of the military events of 1066, we suggest that the siting of England’s first Norman abbey, at Battle, was likely the result of a combination of factors that have hitherto been largely overlooked.
About the speakers:
Dr Rebecca Welshman and Simon Coleman
Dr. Rebecca Welshman is an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of Liverpool. She works on projects concerning ‘the literary archaeology of place’ – the study of texts in the context of geography, history and environment. Her PhD (University of Exeter, 2010–13) titled ‘Imagining Archaeology’ focused on nature and landscape in 19th century literature. She has presented papers at the World Archaeological Congress, Archaeology in Conflict (Vienna, 2010), and ‘Theatres of War: The British Commission for Military History’s New Researchers’ Conference’ (Lancaster, 2019) where she presented a new interpretation of ‘The Hoar Apple Tree’ of the Battle of Hastings. She has published in historical, cultural, and literary studies. Her latest essay, which highlights military associations in the works of Shakespeare, will appear in Reading the River in Shakespeare’s Britain (2024).
Mr. Simon Coleman obtained a BA degree in Ancient History and then qualified as an archivist. He has worked in various academic institutions, including the British Library and the universities of Bath and Sussex, and is now at West Dean College in West Sussex. His work has largely focused on archives from the 19th and 20th centuries covering subjects such as literature, art and political history. Outside work he has written articles for the Richard Jefferies Society. Before attending university, he developed an interest in medieval and ancient battles and investigated theories regarding the locations of some Anglo-Saxon battlefields. On moving to East Sussex in 2014 he started to explore the question of the site of the Battle of Hastings, looking at issues around interpretation of sources, landscape changes, and the influence of ‘official’ narratives of events on current debate.
Wednesday 11th November 2026
SAH Online Archaeology Lecture
7.30pm
THE SALLY CHRISTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY LECTURE 2026
'The Lives and Deaths of Old Buildings'
Speaker: Dr Michael Shapland, FSA
(University College London)
For the past twenty years I have worked as an archaeologist specialising in old buildings. Over that time I have come to realise that buildings live lives, just like people do. They are born into the world, they grow through time, they move around the landscape, have bodies, make noises, acquire memories and become imprinted with the lives of their inhabitants. A building may then grow old, get sick, become infirm and reach to the end of its life to die alone, abandoned, or put to death by fire or demolition. Sometimes their body parts are re-used in other structures, and so buildings have not just lives but offspring, and the cycle turns anew. I will apply this idea to some of the buildings I have worked on in Sussex, many of whose stories were previously unknown, and some of which are now lost to the world.
About the speaker:
Dr Michael Shapland, FSA (University College London)
Michael is an archaeologist who specialises in early medieval buildings and landscapes. He has fifteen years’ experience in the professional sector, the last twelve with UCL’s Archaeology South-East. He also serves as the consultant archaeologist for Chichester Cathedral. His doctorate was on Anglo-Saxon towers and the development of early castles, he formerly lectured on early medieval kingship at the University of Winchester, and he has authored or co-authored numerous academic articles and several books.
About Sally Christian
Sally developed a passion for archaeology as a mature student at the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) at the University of Sussex. Before her death, due to cancer, whilst still studying at CCE, Sally very generously established at Sussex University a Fund to help finance similar part-time older students, and also sixth-formers wishing to experience some archaeology before applying to university, to undertake practical archaeology training courses. Following the demise of CCE, the remainder of the Sally Christian Archaeology Bequest was transferred for administrative purposes to the Sussex Archaeological Society.
To remember Sally, Sussex Archaeology and History (SAH) holds an annual memorial lecture.